God’s “Sticky” Love
There is probably no better description of God’s love for His people than the Old Testament Hebrew word hesed. It has been described as His “loyal love” for us, or His “mercy” toward us. This love is trustworthy in the midst of trials, dependable through difficulties and steadfastly present during suffering and it never, never fails. It is truly God’s love for us.
The odd thing is, we often have a very difficult time letting His hesed love reach into our inner hearts. Not that we don’t want it, we all do. It is almost too good to be true and we have rarely experienced anything like it from other people.
So what does hesed look like in today’s world? It is like the father of a handicapped child patiently, gently working and encouraging them to go beyond their current limits and experience a step of success in areas of life that most of us take for granted. It’s firmly and gently helping that child push through the frustration, struggle and pain to find the joy of accomplishing a well-earned victory. It’s like the adult daughter who sets her career aside to care for her dying mother or her father with Alzheimer’s disease. No matter how incorrigible they become she continues to respond with gentleness and love, caring for them even when they no longer recognize her. It’s also a husband who faithfully works a difficult, thankless job for years so he can provide for the financial needs of his family, especially when his boss is callous and he’s not fully appreciated. When we see hesed, we are seeing Christ’s character coming out.
One translation often used for hesed is longsuffering. This keeps hesed in perspective yet, it doesn’t capture the fullness of the love God has for us. I like to think that God suffers our sin and failures yet still enjoys blessing us with abundance.
So now let’s get personal. How many times have you failed God repeatedly with the same failures and every time He is there graciously waiting for you to back come to Him? Or, on the other hand, how many times have we stiff-armed God and wanted to do things our own way only to fail again and again while He patiently waits for us to humble our hearts and return to Him with open hearts. Every time we fail, God will bring us back to the same point over and over again. He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce His character in us and also, to help us mature to become His emissaries to a mortally wounded world. He loves us so much He won’t leave us where we are. It is His hesed love, His “sticky” love, that won’t let us go and continues to love us when all others would have given up and left.
Are you willing to love others with that same kind of love? It means giving up all rights to being treated like you are “supposed” to be treated. There is only one way to fully love others with hesed love, and that is to die to self on a daily basis and simultaneously be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction. When you really get it, really allow God’s hesed to sink into your inner belief system, then you will be able to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Then the world would know we are Christians by our love!
Bob Hardin
Director – NWBCC
Testimonies
· Husband: Our Lord has been working with me this week, challenging me to open and acknowledge my heart. He is teaching me to communicate my heart to my wife, to God, and to those around me. Here is where healing begins in earnest, working through hurts together, and with God. My God is merciful in showing me what must be done to work on my scars and help provide a safe place for my wife to heal as well.
· Wife: The most significant breakthrough for me was identifying the ways different things had hurt me in my life. I realized the enemy was using all those hurts to back up the same lies over and over again. Recognizing who I needed to forgive and the lies I had accepted by not forgiving helped me see the Truth. I am loved, I am His, I am valuable. The most significant breakthrough for my spouse and me was learning how to speak to each other’s hearts. We had been shutting each other down and now we are able to talk things through. The Lord is so good!
Prayer Needs
· Pray for God’s financial provision for 2019. We are so grateful for all those who partner with us for healthy families.
· We have been offered free/low-cost office space in the Renton area. Pray with us that we will be able to end our current lease contract efficiently and quickly. This will save us thousands of dollars each year.
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Martin Luther King Jr.